Brian Desmond Hurst

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Brian Desmond Hurst 1976

Brian Desmond Hurst (actually Hans Moore Hurst ; born February 12, 1895 in East Belfast , Belfast , Northern Ireland , † September 26, 1986 in London , England ) was an Irish film director , screenwriter and film producer . He was Ireland's most prominent director of the 20th century, directing over 27 films.

Life

Brian Desmond Hurst was born on Ribble Street in East Belfast. After the outbreak of the First World War , his first name changed from Hans to Brian . Hurst was born into a working class family and in early childhood the family followed his father Robert Hurst (* 1855 in County Armagh; † March 27, 1911) to his various jobs between Belfast and the Scottish Govan as a shipyard worker. Hurst's mother, Esther Hurst (née Hawthorn, born February 15, 1866 - † September 27, 1899) died when he was just three and a half years old. Hurst had five siblings, of which his eldest sister Sarah Patricia (* September 1882, † January 27, 1963) had to take on the role of mother.

Education and war years

Hurst attended New Road School, a public elementary school in East Belfast. The building still exists and today houses the “Constitutional Club”.

In the early weeks of the war, Hurst joined the 6th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles in Belfast as a rifleman . He served there with his best friend, Bobby McKenzie, both of whom survived the First World War . After the war ended, Hurst returned to Belfast to study at Belfast's Royal Avenue College of Journalism. Finding that life in Belfast was too restrictive for him, he took a government grant and emigrated to Canada in 1921. He enrolled at the Toronto College of Art , which he left after two years to go to France to study art at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris .

Hollywood

After completing his education, Hurst moved to Hollywood, where he began film production. Under the expert guidance of John Ford, he learned the skills of set management. He made a brief appearance as an extra at Ford's Hangman's House in 1928, where he briefly appeared alongside John Wayne . His real skills, however, were behind the camera. His artistic training enabled him to capture faces and expressions with a unique flair. He expanded these skills under Ford's guidance, who became a lifelong friend of Hurst.

Film career in Great Britain

In 1933 Hurst returned to England. Here he started his career in British cinema. Between 1935 and 1962 he made more than 25 films. Ourselves Alone , a film set during the Irish War of Independence, was censored in southern Britain and banned completely in Northern Ireland. In 1951, Hurst made his most famous film with Scrooge , an adaptation of Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol . He has worked with actors such as Sir Alec Guinness , Sir Roger Moore , Siobhán McKenna and Sir Ralph Richardson . His last film, The Playboy of the Western World , came out in 1962.

Filmography (selection)

Theirs is the Glory (1946)
  • 1928: Hangman's House
  • 1934: The Tell-Tale Heart
  • 1934: Irish Hearts
  • 1935: Riders to the Sea
  • 1936: Ourselves Alone
  • 1936: The Tenth Man
  • 1936: sensation
  • 1937: Glamorous Night
  • 1938: Prison Without Bars
  • 1939: Verstrickung (On the Night of the Fire)
  • 1939: The Lion Has Wings
  • 1939: On the Night of the Fire
  • 1941: Dangerous Moonlight
  • 1942: A Letter From Ulster
  • 1942: Alibi
  • 1944: The Hundred Pound Window
  • 1945: Caesar and Cleopatra (Caesar and Cleopatra) (first assistant director)
  • 1946: Theirs is the Glory
  • 1947: The Copper Mountain (Hungry Hill)
  • 1947: The Mark of Cain
  • 1949: The Tingeltangelgräfin (Trottie True)
  • 1951: A Christmas Story (Scrooge)
  • 1951: Tom Brown's Schooldays
  • 1953: Malta Story
  • 1955: Simba
  • 1956: The Black Tent
  • 1957: In the service of the king (Dangerous Exile)
  • 1958: Behind The Mask
  • 1961: His and Hers
  • 1962: The Playboy of the Western World

Awards and honors

  • 1955: BAFTA Awards for Best British Film for Simba
  • On April 13, 2011, the Ulster History Circle Blue Plaque was unveiled, a commemorative blue plaque that was placed on the house at 23 Ribble Street in East Belfast in honor of the most famous Northern Irish director for the original home of Hurst's birth.
  • On April 13, 2011, the Directors Guild of Great Britain installed a blue plaque for Brian Desmond Hurst at the Queens Film Theater in Belfast. Before him, this honor had already been bestowed on three other directors: Michael Powell , Alexander Mackendrick and David Lean . The plaque was presented by Redmond Morris.

Web links

Commons : Brian Desmond Hurst  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/hurst.html ( Memento from February 25, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on ulsterhistory.co.uk (English).
  2. ↑ a b Biography, Belfast at briandesmondhurst.org, accessed November 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ Biography, War Years at briandesmondhurst.org, accessed November 20, 2012.
  4. ↑ Biography, Hollywood at briandesmondhurst.org, accessed November 20, 2012.
  5. ↑ Biography on newulsterbiography.co.uk, accessed November 20, 2012.
  6. ↑ BAFTA Awards  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at cinefacts.de, accessed on November 20, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.cinefacts.de  
  7. ↑ Directors Guild plaque on dggb.org, accessed on November 20, 2012 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Hurst, Brian Desmond
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Desmond, Brian; Desmond-Hurst, Brian; Hurst, BD; Hurst, Hans Moore (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish film director, screenwriter and film producer
DATE OF BIRTH February 12, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH East Belfast , Belfast , Northern Ireland
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 1986
Place of death London , England